The subscribers of Cooking
For Fun are pleased to share the following holiday recipes with you! We
hope you enjoy these gifts and will use them all-year round. May the spirit
of Christmas be with you throughout the year!

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into large bowl. Make a well
in the center and add oil, margarine, orange juice and rind, eggs (except
for the 1 reserved egg white) and vanilla. Mix well using a wooden spoon
( the dough will be heavy). Combine thoroughly; knead dough. Chill for
several hours or overnight. Prepare the toppings by first combining 1/4
cup sugar with 1 tsp ofcinnamon; set aside.
Lightly whisk the remaining egg white to use as a glaze. Cut dough into
four parts. Roll one part on a lightly floured board to form a rectangle
about 6 by 14 inches. Spread lightly with about 1 tbsp of jam; sprinkle
with one quarter each of the nuts, raisins and sugar cinnamon mixture.
Roll lengthwise as for a jelly roll. Brush top with some of the whisked
egg white, then sprinkle with sugar cinnamon mixture.

Slice into 1 1/2 inch
slices and place on lightly greased baking sheet, topping side up spaced
about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling and topping.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove immediately to a tray dusted with powdered
sugar.

Prepare the jello by adding
the 1 cup hot water, sugar, and raspberry jello. Add the prepared fruits,
celery and nuts to the jello. Dissolve the gelatin in the 1/2 cup cold
water, and mix into jello mixture. Pour into your favorite mold.

Dressing: Cook in double
boiler the 3/4 cup sugar, flour, eggs and butter until slightly thickened.
Cool. When completely cool, add the whipped cream, pineapple juice and
juice of one orange. This recipe can be halved, if desired.

This makes a very large
salad. Mom often made it in a 9x13" cake pan, as when cut, the squares
with a dollop of the dressing made a great presentation. Wonderful cool
salad for holidays or any special occasion.

Combine first 4 ingredients
in top of a large double boiler; beat at low speed of an electric mixer
30 seconds until well blended. Place over boiling water; beat constantly
at high speed 7 to 9 minutes until stiff peaks form and temperature reaches
160 degrees. Remove from heat. Add vanilla; beat 2 minutes until frosting
is spreading consistency.

Using your favorite recipe
or mix, prepare brownies and cook in a well-greased 8 inch round pan. Remove
from pan in one piece. Cool. Spoon ice cream (if you have a large bowl,
use more ice cream) sprinkle with crushed peppermint stick into aluminum
bowl that has a diameter of 8 inches at the top. Pack the ice cream into
this mold and freeze until hard. Unmold the ice cream by wrapping a warm
towel around the bowl, and Invert it onto the circular brownie, Frost this
“mountain” with heavy cream, whipped until stiff. Refreeze the cake. When
the cream is frozen hard, loosely cover the cake with foil and return to
the freezer. Transfer it to a serving plate, sprinkle it lightly with coconut,
and decorate it with holly and the Santa.

NOTE: The cake base and
ice cream can be any flavor you wish. The cake can also be served with
a desert chocolate or fruit sauce, but for children the cake is sweet and
rich enough without the sauce.

CFF Shared by Carole

This
recipe was published in Sunset Magazine many, many years ago, at least
30. Our family enjoys the bread as often as possible at Christmas Time.

Cut dough into three equal
parts. Each one is enough for 1 loaf bread.Shape trees by rolling
small pieces of dough into "snakes" arrange the"snakes" on a greased
cookie sheet to form the boughs of a tree, braid three snakes and lay them
down the center of the bread to form a trunk. as well as are the bough
ends or any other shape desired. Decorate the tree With glace cherries.
Cover and let rise 25 minutes.

Brush with beaten egg
before baking, and again after 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 400 F for
25 to 30 minutes or until is golden brown.

CFF Shared by Judy

This
has become a favorite on our holiday table. The presentation is very pretty!

Dissolve jello in boiling
water. Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Add water to juice to make 1 cup,
add to gelatin. Chill until slightly thickened. Measure 1 1/2 cups, pour
into 6 cup fluted round mold. (looks like a wreath when unmolded), Chill
until set but not firm. Combine sour cream and mayonnaise, blend in remaining
jello. Chill until thickened. Add pear, pineapple, nuts and cherries. Spoon
into mold. Chill at least 4 hours. Unmold. This can be made with sugar
free jello. You can use mint leaves and half slices of maraschino cherries
to make holly on the wreath after it is unmolded. Very pretty!

From:
Pampered Chef Spring/Summer 1999 Season's Best Recipe Collection. Here
is a recipe I tried for this Christmas and it makes a great looking (and
tasting) table food. With the red and green in it, it is very festive.
It looks complicated, but it is really easy to do. I substituted
the ham after Christmas and made one and it was excellent!

Unroll package of crescent
rolls. Do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of
12 x 15" pan (I use a baking stone) and repeat with remaining package of
dough. Roll out dough to seal perforations. On long side of pan, cut dough
into strips 1 1/2 inches apart, 3 inches deep leaving approximately 6"
in the center of dough for filling. Spread filling evenly over middle of
dough.

To braid: Lift strips
of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn.
Continue alternating strips to form braid. Tuck ends under to seal at ends.

Heat oven to 350 F. Finely
grind the almonds in a food processor or blender. Measure flour, butter
and sugar into a large bowl. Add almonds and knead with your hands (the
dough will be very dry).

Roll half the dough between
2 sheets of wax paper or parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Cut
into circles with a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter.

Bake on ungreased cookie
sheets 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

Combine preserves and
brandy. Spread 1 tsp of the mixture onto half of the cookies. Top with
remaining cookies.

Prepare Chocolate Glaze.
Place the glaze in a squirt bottle and drizzle over the cookies in random
patterns. Store cookies in the refrigerator. For best flavor, bring to
room temperature before serving. Makes 1 dozen.

Glaze: Melt together in
a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water the glaze ingredients.

Heat oven to 375 F. In
a small bowl, combine flour, soda, ream of tartar and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, margarine, eggs, orange juice
concentrate, orange peel and vanilla. Beat at low speed with an electric
mixer, scraping bowl often, until well-mixed, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in dry ingredients
and stir just until mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts. Drop by heaping teaspoons
about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or
until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven immediately and cool
on wire rack.

Frost the cooled cookeis
with Orange Cream Icing. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Makes about
4 dozen cookies.

This
is very delicious and also very easy. It calls for making it in the microwave,
but I don't see any reason why it can't be done on top of the stove. The
original recipe is from the Texas Peanut Producers Board. I made this as
a house gift when I was visiting over the holidays. If you put the fudge
on an attractive serving dish, it makes a wonderful gift. Tie the dish
and fudge up in plastic wrap, put an attractive bow around it, and there
you are...a gift on 2 levels. The fudge can be eaten, and the dish can
be reused by the recipient on other occasions....a
gift that keeps on giving :-)

Next make the sponge:
cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg
yolks and vanilla essence. Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg
mixture, alternating with the milk. Divide the mixture between the tins
and smooth with a spatula.

Next, make the meringue:
In a clean grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Whisk in half the castor sugar and beat well. It should look glossy. Gradually
fold in the remaining sugar.Divide the mixture between
the two tins, spreading evenly over the cakemixture to eliminate
any air pockets.

Bake for 45-50 mins until
golden brown. Remove from tins and cool on a wire rack. Place the whipping
cream in a large bowl. Whisk until it just holds its shape. Soften the
chestnut puree in another bowl. Fold the cream into the chestnut puree.
Sprinkle in the chocolate and stir gently. Fold in the rum. Pile the chestnut
mixture onto the meringue surface of one of the cakes. Smooth the surface.
Place the second cake on top. Press down gently. Pipe swirls of whipped
cream on the cake, and decorate each swirl with a Marrons glacé.
Pipe in to the centre of the cake with shavings of chocolate. Use a potato
peeler to do this.Dust lightly with unrefined
golden icing sugar (optional).

1. Preheat oven to 350
F and lightly butter a 9 inch round spring form pan. Measure out cranberries,
then slice in half. Place in a small bowl with raisins. Add rum and stir
to combine. Leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours or heat in microwave
on high power for 3 minutes, stirring part waythrough. Then let cool
to room temperature at least 20 min.

2. In a bowl, using a
fork, stir flour with baking powder and salt. Melt dark chocolate in top
of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring often, or in a microwavable
dish on medium power for about 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl,
beat butter with sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating constantly.
Then beat in milk, vanilla and melted chocolate. Drain off any rum that
has not been absorbed by fruit and beat it into butter mixture, beating
on low speed. Stir in reserved fruit white chocolate, and nuts. Using a
spatula, turn batter into buttered pan and smooth top. Gentlybang pan on counter a
few times to eliminate any air pockets.

4. Bake in center of a
325 F oven until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out with no
batter clinging to it, from 70 to80 minutes. Place pan on a rack to cool.
Brush top of cake with a little rum, if you like. Cool to room temperature.
Cover. Store at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerateup to 2 weeks.

5. To make drizzle topping,
warm cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles start
to form around edges of pan. Or heat in microwave on medium high power
for 2 minutes. Stir in coffee until dissolved or stir in vanilla. (Coffee
cuts the sweetness of chocolate). Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
Pour in half the warm cream mixture and stir to melt chocolate. Stir in
remaining cream mixture and stir until very smooth. Sauce can be used immediately
or covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Then just before serving,
heat chocolate sauce on medium power in microwave for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring
halfway through, until sauce is warm and viscous. Drizzle over individual
wedges of cake just before serving.

1. Place carrots in a
saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender,
about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool.
Drain well, then place in a resealable plastic bag, a plastic storage container
or a bowl sealed with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 2 days.

2. Just before serving,
melt butter in a large frying pan or wide saucepan set over medium heat.
Add maple syrup and toss in carrots. Stir fry until carrots are glazed
and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then season as you like with salt
and pepper.

Pretty Extras: although
these glazed carrots are delicious as is, you can garnish them with chopped
chives, fresh dill, parsley or coriander. A light sprinkilng of fresh rosemary
is also nice.

I make this every Christmas.
It saves time Christmas day, and reduces the number of pots on the stove.
I heat it once the turkey is out of the oven and I am making gravy.

In large pot of boiling
water, cook potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
drain and let cool slightly; peel. With potato masher, mash until smooth;
blend in cream cheese and butter untilmelted. Mix in
onions, sour cream, parsley, marjoram, salt and pepper . Transfer
to 8 in 2L) baking dish; smooth top. Sprinkle with crumbs.
(Casserole can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for
up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 week. Let thaw in refrigerator
for 24 hours. Add10 minutes to baking
time.) Bake in 400 F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through
and top islightly golden. Makes
about 10 servings.

1. Cook the broccoli and
cauliflower for 5 minutes and then drain.2. Mix eggs, onion, mayonnaise,
soup and 1/2 cup grated cheese.3. Combine with vegetables
and place in casserole dish.4. Mix the butter croutons
and cheese.5. Sprinkle over the
top of the vegetables.6. Bake at 350 F for
50 minutes.

This is part of a collection
of craft recipes. These are simple doughs. Some of them will make fairly
permanent ornaments, others will deteriorate. It is best with all dough
ornaments to dip them in some sort of sealer such as acrylic or polymer
coatings. Next best preservative treatment would be to spray the ornament
with sealer. This is a very important step; I lost many precious and irreplaceable
ornaments one year because they were not sealed and they got damp. Have
fun! Judy

Dough
Art Recipes

This is the preferred
recipe for permanent ornaments.

7 tablespoons hot water1/4 cup salt1 tablespoon oil1/2 cup flour

Mix previous ingredients
well and add:

Tempera paint1/2 cup flour

Knead well and shape as
desired. Dry in 325 F oven (cooler oven is fine but will take longer to
dry. You can also air dry.) Dip dry ornaments in varnish or varathane.
Ornaments can be sprayed but they will not be as well sealed.

Baking time: Bake in a
325 F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Baking may take longer depending on the
size of piece. Test for doneness by gently tapping each piece with the
handle of a knife. A hollow sound tells you the piece is done.

Storage: Store completed
pieces away from dampness. A zip-lock bag or tupperware box makes a good
storage container. Should a piece get soft it can be re-baked. Bake the
piece in a 200 F oven for 12 to 24 hours. The varnish will smell, but is
not harmful. Touch up the paint if necessary and dip in varnish.

Always mix salt and hot
water first. Stir a while to allow some of the salt to dissolve. Stir in
flour. Knead until dough has consistency of smooth play dough. Store dough
in a sealed plastic bag. Dough can be kept for 24 hours, however it will
become sticky. More flour can be added, but the texture will never return
to its original consistency. If you wish to keep the dough for the 24 hours,
store it in the refrigerator. This dough is not edible.

To add paint to either
recipe 2 or 3 always put the paint in your measuring cup first and then
add all the correct amount of water. Should your dough feel tacky, add
more flour. If it is so dry that it will not stick together use a spray
bottle to add more water.

Stir to blend well: cook
over highest heat until candy thermometer reads 300 F; remove at once from
heat.

Have a small pan and stirrer
ready for each color you plan to use. Pour some syrup into small pan and
add liquid food coloring drop by drop. Start with red, yellow, and blue
then vary the hues as desired by following package directions. Stir as
little as possible while blending, trapped air bubbles can make the candy
opaque.

To maintain pouring consistency
you will need to rewarm the syrup occasionally over moderate heat, stirring
gently. (However, you can set aside the syrup for a few hours, then return
to the project.) The very hot syrup may be too thin: let it stand a few
minutes to thicken. Pour the syrup into frames made from the dough. The
candy will harden in about 15 minutes.

Place 1/4 cup white glue
in glass or stainless steel bowl. Add flour and knead until dough is smooth
and no longer sticks to your fingers. The amount Of flour will vary greatly
according to the moisture in the air.

Use the variations from
recipe #7 if desired.

Both recipes #7 and #8
may be kept in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for weeks.

2. Always store all dough
except the piece you are working with in a sealed bag.

3. All shapes used in
dough figures start from a round smooth ball shape.

4. Knead and roll dough
so no cracks appear. Should you form a piece with even a hairline crack
it will split when baked.

5. The consistency of
your dough will vary with the humidity.

6. Wash hands frequently,
especially between color changes.

7. When you form flat
pieces, prick them with a pin to avoid swelling during baking.

8. Tempera, either liquid
or dry, is the preferred colorant. Acrylic and watercolors may also be
used to color the dough. Paste food color can be used, but the color will
be very pale pastel.

9. Fine tip magic markers
may also be used, especially for faces or other fine markings

10. Always shape pieces
on a small piece of aluminum foil.

11. Always join sections
of pieces with a drop of water.

12. Bake pieces on cookie
sheets.

13. Lower baking temperatures
will give a whiter finish to the dough. Using lower temperatures will increase
the baking time.

14. Test for doneness
by gently tapping the figure with the handle of a knife. A hollow sound
tells you it is done. Check the back side of each piece too.

15. For browned highlights
- brush on egg white before baking.

16. Some areas may brown
too quickly. Cover these with small pieces of foil.

17. Ornaments may also
be air dried. It takes 3 weeks in a perfectly dry area for a piece to totally
dry.

18. The best brush for
painting fine details is a fine point artist brush - size 00 or smaller.

19. Let paint dry fully
before dipping in sealer.

20. For a hard finish
use varathane varnish either glossy or satin finish. There is a new varnish
out by Deft that dries in 30 minutes. Spray varnish may be used, but dipping
the pieces in a bucket of varnish gives a nicer longer lasting finish.

21. After dipping find
an out of the way area where the pieces can hang for at least 3 days

22. Dip three times for
a good seal. Let pieces dry to a slightly tacky finish between dips.

23. Some brands of varnish
will melt the dough and make the paint run.

In a medium bowl, mix
cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add applesauce and glue. Work mixture with
hands for 2-3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Divide into 4 portions. Roll
out each portion to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and
make a small hole in the top of each with a toothpick.

Place cutouts on a wire
rack to dry at room temperature for several days, turning once each day
for even drying. Thread string or ribbons through the hole in each ornament.
Makes about 32 ornaments depending on size.